Bobby Ryan leads Anaheim Ducks to 2-1 win over Detroit Red Wings
Bobby Ryan lit the lamp in overtime, as the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 2-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings, at the Honda Centre on Wednesday night.
Jason Blake also notched a goal, while Dan Ellis turned aside 28 shots for Anaheim, who have won two consecutive games after a five-game losing streak threatened their play-off chances.
Pavel Datsyuk tallied the lone goal, while Jimmy Howard turned away 26 shots for Detroit, who had a six-game road win streak halted by the Ducks. The Red Wings had only themselves to blame, as they wasted several opportunities to finish off the penalty-prone
Anaheim.
Detroit was unable to score on a 93-second power-play during the opening stanza. Both sides tried hard to break the deadlock but were thwarted by the goalkeepers. Howard made eight saves and Ellis stopped three shots in the first goalless period.
The Red Wings finally connected on their sixth power-play, which came after Brad Winchester's interference penalty. Just five minutes into the middle frame, Datsyuk threw the puck out front from behind the net, where it caromed off Ellis’ pads, and went
in to give Detroit a 1-0 lead.
Anaheim though, pulled the game even at 1-1 just two minutes into the final session, as Jason Blake’s blazing shot from the slot sailed past Howard.
Detroit then had a power play with three and a half minutes left in the final frame, when former Red Wings’ defenceman Andreas Lilja held Datsyuk's stick, but Detroit were unable to score.
Both teams had ample chances to end it in the dying minutes of the game. Anaheim were called for too many men on the ice with just 12 seconds remaining in the game, but the Red Wings still failed to score during a 4-on-3 power play in overtime.
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock was disappointed that his side didn’t make the most of the chances they had. He said "They did a good job and put some pressure on us. Their goalie saved some shots, and we missed a couple of empty nets. The play was set up for
us to find a way to get a win, and we didn't."
However, Ryan accounted for the final scoring at 2-1 with two minutes left in overtime. He was awarded the first penalty shot of his career, as he was hauled down by Ruslan Salei on a breakaway.
Ryan rushed in on net and stuffed a wrist shot past Jimmy Howard for the win and his 30th goal of the season.
An excited Ryan said after the game, “That shot seemed to work for me in the last couple of shootouts. There wasn't any other game plan. If that didn't work out, he was making the save. I just tried to close my eyes and put it in the right place."
Tags: